The Catholic Defender: The Immaculate Conception points to defeat of the powers of Darkness
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) encouraged Christians in her day instructing us when the Devil wants to remindImmaculate Conception us of our past, that we can remind him of his future!
Matthew 25:41 states, "Then he (Jesus) will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
That's one appointment I personally want to avoid! That is why I so closely want to be identified with Jesus Christ and His and our Mother, that is a great sign of providence. Deepertruth member the Late Judy Alciatore shared the following story of the Rosary on our Deepertruth Radio Show, "Pearl Harbor December 7 and the Holy Eucharist" aired December 7, 2016." The focus of the show was about the courage of Father Aloysius Schmitt who selflessly gave his life in saving others.
Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, preserved from the slightest stain of sin, and enriched with all the treasures of divine grace, I thank you for the many blessings I have received through your most powerful intercession. You know my needs, my trials, my sufferings. Mother of Mercy, I beseech you to hear my prayer, and to obtain for me from your Divine Son the favors I seek in this Novena.
(Here make your requests)
O Mother most pure, guide me in dangers, enlighten me in doubts, strengthen me in temptation, and help me to bear the crosses of life in union with your Son, so that one day, with you, I might share His glory. Amen.
THE MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
The Rosary stops a serial killer 1978
"At 3: 00 am on January 15 Bundy entered the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University and murdered two girls before heading off to search for more victims. When he entered a third girl’s room with a bat for a weapon, he saw a rosary clutched in her hand, dropped the bat and fled.
Later the girl told authorities that before she left for college she had promised her grandmother that she would pray the rosary every night for protection, even if she fell asleep in the process. This is what she had done that night, and she was still holding the rosary when the murderer entered her room. Bundy later confessed to over thirty murders.
Father Joseph M. Esper says in his book With Mary to Jesus, "Ironically, when Ted Bundy was on death row, awaiting execution for his crimes, he asked Monsignor Kerr to serve as a spiritual counselor, and the priest took the opportunity to ask about that terrible night. Bundy explained that when he entered the girl's room, he had fully intended on murdering her; some mysterious power was preventing him."
Father Esper adds, "And not only does it (the rosary) aid our own spiritual growth -- it also undermines the kingdom of Satan. The famous Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth testified, 'One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism, "Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end."'
Pray the rosary daily for protection and to defeat the forces of Satan.
This battle between the Woman (The Virgin Mary) can be found in the twelfth chapter of Revelation. Verse 17 tells it all:
"Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea."
It was 27 January, 2007 while serving in Iraq, I had been out with the Scouts as we went to a number of villages looking for weapons.
That had been a long day that was very beneficial to us as we were able to find weapons and get some key information.
Once we returned back to Base, I was able to take off and go to a scheduled class I was prepared to give.
The following is what I wrote on the Defenders of the Catholic Faith Message Board:
“Beginning this morning, I was outside the wire on mission and didn’t get back until after 18:00 hours. I was in full battle rattle when I got to my room and grabbed my computer and speaker system and made my way to the Division Chapel which was about a mile away. I had to go by foot. I got there to find Father was there with the RCIA class which was real glad I was able to get there. Even though I was 45 minutes late, everyone stayed the whole time to watch the DVD on Mary. That was so cool. A non-denominational preacher happened to be in another room became interested in the subject matter so after I dismissed the class we talked for another hour. It was a good night of RCIA action!!!”
As I walked back to my unit, it was night time, very dark. I heard the explosions in the distance, the gun fire. I reflected on some of the questions I covered at this evenings class.
I have Soldiers who were raised as Mormons, Church of Christ, Lutherans, Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptists, Non-Denominational, Pentecostals, former Catholics, and non-believers.
They had various opinions based from what they were raised so their questions are very interesting as they were all sharing their journey to the Catholic Faith.
In one way, it reminded me of the first Christians who were Baptized that first day (Acts 2:41) St. Luke writes, “Those who accepted his (St. Peter’s) message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day”.
I thought it was cool that we were continuing the work that Christ commissioned the Church to do.
The teaching on Mary was tonight’s main discussion and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was a main issue. What a great reflection of the love of God and I continued to walk along my journey back to my room.
I thought of Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heal”.
I thought about that for a while, certainly God knew who this woman was when he told Satan this forewarning prophecy. As I thought about this text, this woman can not be Eve as I’ve heard some think because her offspring did not conquer the serpent.
It was Jesus who conquered sin and death, St. Paul wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38).
I felt that the Virgin Mary was the only one who could be the Woman of Genesis 3:15. St. John really presents a chapter in Revelation based on Genesis 3:15, Revelation 12 represents the woman, the serpent (dragon) and the offspring, the child Jesus. This is the belief of the Early Church Fathers and the constant teaching of the Catholic Church.
Resting in this truth, my heart just came alive. I continued to reflect on the Immaculate Conception remembering that Gabriel was sent to tell Mary that she was this Woman.
This is very important. Compare the appearance of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with when the Angel appeared to St. John. Revelation 22:8, St. John writes, “It is I, John, who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said to me, ‘Don’t! I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the message of this book, Worship God”.
I thought about how St. John was with Jesus for three years learning and hearing the Lord’s teaching first hand. He was one of the Twelve, yet he lost himself with the appearance of the Angel.
Compare this with Mary’s response to Gabriel, an Archangel. The Angel first greets Mary with “Hail, Full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). I recalled the original Greek “Kecharitomene” means “having been” or “have already been” graced, Mary is “Full of Grace”, a past perfect participle.
The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning “to fill or endow with grace.” Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence.
When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). The phrase “full of grace” is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary.
Because God knew who the Woman of Genesis 3:15 would be, at the appointed time, God prepares the Virgin Mary from her very beginning to be the Mother of Jesus.
This does not mean that she didn’t need Jesus, she absolutely did, it is when she was free of Original Sin. It is a singular grace by God to the Virgin Mary that benefits all mankind.
She was protected by God from the Devil from the moment of her conception. St. John writes, “When the dragon saw that it had been thrown to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child (Jesus). But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half year. The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped the woman and opened it’s mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus” (Rev 12:13-17).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that she was “redeemed in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son” (CCC 492). She has more reason to call God her Savior than we do, because he saved her in an even more glorious manner!
But what about Romans 3:23, “all have sinned”? Have all people committed actual sins? Consider a child below the age of reason. By definition he can’t sin, since sinning requires the ability to reason and the ability to intend to sin.
Paul’s comment seems to have one of two meanings. It might be that it refers not to absolutely everyone, but just to the mass of mankind (which means young children and other special cases, like Jesus and Mary, would be excluded without having to be singled out). If not that, then it would mean that everyone, without exception, is subject to original sin, which is true for a young child, for the unborn, even for Mary—but she, though due to be subject to it, was preserved by God from it and its stain.
The Virgin Mary appears to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830 giving us the “Miraculous Medal” that shows Mary standing on the moon and the Devil under her feet.
St Augustine said (354-430), “Since the devil is the head of original sin, this head it was that Mary crushed: for sin never had any entry into the soul of this Blessed Virgin, which was consequently free from all stain”.
As I kept thinking about this, I just wanted to reach out to God and thank him, even in this place. He has given us so much.
I couldn’t help thinking of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous identifying herself, “I am the Immaculate Conception”.
I thought of the wonders God has worked at Lourdes that even today miracles are happening. I understand that several thousand people go to Lourdes France everyday from around the world.
God promised us signs and wonders through his presence among his Church. As I walked into our Orderly Room, I checked in so they would know I was accounted for.
I stopped in talking with the duty personnel and I was overjoyed from all that I was involved in this night.
I could still hear mortar fire in the distance, machine gun fire sporadic, every now and then a real loud explosion, yet it could not dampen my spirit. I dedicated my prayer for those who were in the midst of the fight.
In Looking back, what a blessing it was to participate in the journey of so many people wanting to become Catholic. Despite the danger we lived, I was consoled with this truth: “You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
